The first single I bought
I remember seeking out Long Haired Lover from Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond when I was six. I bought it from Rumbelows on Northwich High Street – it sold washing machines, TVs, blenders and the Top 40 7-inch singles at the back.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I’ve long been obsessed by Steve Ignorant from Crass. I’ve had various stalls at record markets over the years, and at one, this guy came up and said: “Do you really know the lyrics to all Crass songs?” He tried to catch me out by singing Do They Owe Us a Living?, but I knew them from start to finish.
The first song I fell in love with
I heard My Girl by Madness at Anne’s Cake Shop when I was 12 or 13. The romantic cascading piano stuck in my mind almost as much as the fantastic cream cakes.
The song I can no longer listen to
I go through phases of getting tired of things, after listening to them too many times on repeat. Even though I think they are both geniuses, I can’t listen to Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield or Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan for that exact reason.
The best song to play at a party
I’ve always been obsessed by Madonna; I love Deeper and Deeper, which is also the title of a song on the latest Charlatans album. It references The Perfect Kiss by New Order and Hand in Glove by the Smiths.
The song I secretly like, but tell everybody I hate
I like to give everything the benefit of the doubt. There’s no embarrassment in liking SOS by Abba.
The song that changed my life
Blue Monday wasn’t the first New Order song I knew, but when I first heard it when I was 16, it sounded like it was from the future and made me think that anything was possible. New Order became my favourite band and I became a New Order groupie.
The song that makes me cry
Wasn’t Born to Follow by Carole King.
The song I’d like played at my funeral
There Goes a Tenner wasn’t one of Kate Bush’s biggest singles, but it sounds great driving around, singing my head off. I’ll have that, so everyone can sing their head off in my honour.
The best song to have sex to
Discipline by Throbbing Gristle.
The Charlatans album We Are Love is out now. They tour 24 April to 6 May.
